Newton set to debut as No. 22 Auburn's QB

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/03/2010 -

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -Quarterback Cameron Newton has been the talk of Auburn since his arrival on campus. He's big, he's mobile and he's a skilled leader who can direct Gus Malzahn's offense to even bigger numbers.

That's the buzz, at least.

Really, the 22nd-ranked Tigers' fans get their first glimpse of what Newton can do with both his arms and his legs Saturday night when Arkansas State visits to open the season.

Closed practices and a limited arsenal in the spring game have left Newton something of a mystery to Auburn fans. Of course, there's always some of that to any quarterback who hasn't started in front of 80,000 or so fans.

``Until you actually get to see somebody in the heat of the battle, there's some questions that we'll learn after the first few games after we get to know each other even better going through those times,'' offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. ``And he's got a good handle of the offense, but I really expect him each week to get a better grip and a better grasp as we go.''

Newton has waited for this chance since signing with Florida out of high school. He spent last season at a Texas junior college before landing back in the Southeastern Conference, then learned Malzahn's system well enough in the spring to claim the starting job.

``I wouldn't say I'm overconfident, but I'm confident in every single aspect of the game the coaches have put forth to learn, whether personnel or plays,'' Newton said. ``So I'm confident in all cylinders of the game plan.''

This could be a nice first test. Arkansas State has ranked first or second in the Sun Belt in total defense four years running and returns 10 defensive starters, including preseason league player of the year Bryan Hall on the line.

The Red Wolves face a new-look backfield, with Mario Fannin shifting from a hybrid running back/receiver position to the Tigers' starting tailback. Highly touted freshman Michael Dyer also could make his debut.

Arkansas State will unveil an uptempo offense under new coordinator Hugh Freeze that bears some semblance to Malzahn's system. That means both defenses have experience practicing against that type of attack.

``We get an opportunity to see a lot of the stuff they do like our offense,'' Red Wolves coach Steve Roberts said. ``Some of the plays are very similar, but there are a lot of things that aren't similar that we do that Auburn has not done.''

Both teams have new starting tailbacks. Auburn's Fannin replaces NFL second-round pick Ben Tate, and has played diverse roles for the Tigers.

Running backs coach Curtis Luper has already predicted a 1,000-yard season for Fannin.

``It's a good feeling, being able to suit up your senior season and being in a position that you really wanted to play since you got here,'' Fannin said. ``Now is the time to just show everybody that you can fulfill that position.''

Arkansas State's Derek Lawson was slowed by injury last season and managed just 244 yards, a year after gaining 685. He takes over for Reggie Arnold.

``Derek is certainly a weapon for our football team,'' Roberts said. ``He has been very patient and did not have the type of year he would have liked to have had last year because of injury.

``He played in every game, but wasn't full speed. He is full speed now and we are certainly excited about his role as starting running back for our football team.''

For Auburn, the game marks the return of starting safeties Aairon Savage and Zac Etheridge from injuries. Savage hasn't played the past two seasons.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Betonspoets NCAA Football Betting News

<< No. 7 Sooners seek entry into 800-win club
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -The pictures on the walls and the old videos Bob Stoops shows to his players serve as a reminder that Oklahoma's program has been thriving for decades, since long before any of them were around.On Saturday night, Oklahoma can add

<< Penguins sign F Mike Comrie to $500,000 contract
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Mike Comrie to a $500,000, one-year contract, giving them a proven scorer who might be capable of playing on one of their top three lines.The Penguins, looking for affordable scoring help

<< It's Darron Thomas time for the No. 11 Ducks
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -Darron Thomas seems to have it easy, making his debut as Oregon's starting quarterback at home and with the No. 11 Ducks heavily favored.But it's quite the contrary.When Thomas takes the field on Saturday against New Mexico, all e

<< No. 8 Nebraska goes down to wire with QB call
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -Nebraska fans haven't forgotten that one-point loss to Texas in the Big 12 championship game and they're still celebrating next year's move to the Big Ten.But the biggest topic of conversation in Big Red country has been about wh

<< WVU's Devine ready for senior year
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -Noel Devine stayed in school just for this.Rather than take a chance on the NFL draft last April, Devine is returning for one final season in which he believes ``the sky is the limit.''Liftoff starts Saturday when No. 25 West

Penguins sign Mike Comrie >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Mike Comrie to a one-year contract worth $500,000. Comrie spent last season with Edmonton and registered 13 goals with eight assists for 21 points in 43

Nationwide to end tour sponsorship in 2012 >>
Dublin, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nationwide Insurance has closed one door and opened another. The company said Friday it will no longer sponsor the PGA Tour's developmental circuit when its contract runs out after the 2012 season. B

Seattle, New England set to meet at Gillette Stadium >>
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC travel to New England to take on the Revolution, hoping to extend their current unbeaten run in Major League Soccer play to nine games. Seattle (9-8-5) have rebounded nicely from an

Surging Wizards seek more road success at Union >>
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City coach Peter Vermes said last week's 2-0 win at the Los Angeles Galaxy was "probably our best 90-minute performance of the whole season," but the surging Wizards still have work to do to qualify for the

Stosur, Dementieva first into U.S. Open fourth round >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Samantha Stosur of Australia and Russia's Elena Dementieva were third-round winners Friday at the U.S. Open. The fifth-seeded Stosur thumped Italy's Sara Errani, 6-2, 6-3, while the 12th- seeded Dement

NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams

NFL Betting

It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.

We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.

Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.

Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.

Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.

NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.

The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Wagering

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.